The invention relates to an armoured car with a turret, a weapon mounted therein, a magazine housed in the car and receiving large calibre or bore ammunition standing upright in a concentric arrangement to the rotation axis of the turret and a loader having a loading arm gripping the ammunition at the magazine and raising it into an aligned position with the bore axis of the weapon, i.e. the loading position.
For the loading of large calibre tank weapons automatically operating loaders are already known, which have mainly resulted from the need for a high firing speed, but also for facilitating the manual work of loading, for example, the loaders comprise a type of belt magazine for a large number of bullets positioned level with the weapon bearing and spaced therefrom in the rear part of the sighting hood, i.e. outside the actual vehicle. The individual magazine receptacles can be brought into a loading position aligned with the weapon bore axis. The distance between the weapon bearing or the weapon breech block and the magazine is bridged by a loading bridge, which can be swung out so as to also permit manual loading from the bottom. These automatic loaders, as a result of their only limited reception capacity, require frequent reequipping with ammunition or rearming and this is generally only manually possible. In addition, access to the magazine in the rear part of the turret is very difficult for reequipping with ammunition.
In, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,854, a loading bridge is carried by a parallelogram suspension or linkage and, in a lowered position of the loading bridge, ammunition is received on a magazine and pivoted forward in front of a weapon breech block. Disadvantages of this proposed arrangement resides in the fact that the construction is only suitable for small calibre ammunition, and the ammunition is only movable in a horizontal direction.
A similar parallelogram suspension or linkage is also proposed for free-standing guns in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,304,583; however, as with the aforementioned United States patent the ammunition is only movable in a horizontal direction.
In, for example, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 083,289, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,675, a loading arrangement for tank howitzers is proposed wherein a rotary or revolving magazine within a turning circle of a turret is provided, with the magazine rotating or revolving along two circles concentric to the turret rotation axis and receiving the ammunition in an upright position. The ammunition can be removed from the rotary magazine by a loader pivotable about two axis at right angles to one another between an acceptance or take-over position on the magazine and the loading position in which the ammunition received from the magazine is aligned with a bore axis of the weapon.
Although the last proposed arrangement permits the housing or more ammunition in the rotary magazine, by virtue of the necessary pivoting movements of the loading arm, the loader requires a considerable amount of free space which, in turn, reduces the amount of space for accommodating ammunition.
In a further development of the loading arrangement proposed in the aforementioned United States application, in, for example, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 141,302, it has been proposed to arrange a further rotary magazine provided with ammunition from outside in a rear or tail of the vehicle behind the turret turning circle, with a transfer mechanism, movable between the rotary magazine and the vehicle tail and the rotary magazine in the turret, enabling the turret magazine to be re-equipped with ammunition by the loader as a function of removal of the ammunition.
The last proposed construction is disadvantageous in that the loader is only suitable for relatively small calibre ammunition and, in particular, only for howitzers but not for large calibre tank guns.
The aim underlying the present invention essentially resides in providing an armoured car of the aforementioned type which enables large calibre ammunition to be brought in a space saving manner from magazines of the vehicle into a loading position without manual transfer or loading being necessary, and, enables the possibility of providing a greater housing for accommodating more ammunition in the car or vehicle than previously accommodated.
In accordance with advantageous features of the present invention, an armoured car is provided having an ammunition magazine concentric to the turret rotation axis, with a loader being positioned by a ring mount located substantially below the weapon breach block on the turret platform. The ring mount includes an axis of rotation coincidental with the axis of rotation of the turret, and a multi-lever guide means is supported on the ring mount and is movable in a vertical plane for raising the loading arm with the upright or vertical ammunition along a steep movement path, and, only toward an end of the steep movement path, the loading arm swings the ammunition into the loading position.
Through arranging the loader on a ring mount it is possible to move up to each of the positions on the magazine arranged concentrically to the rotation axis of the turret regardless of whether a stationary or a rotary magazine is used. As a result of the loader construction in the form of a multilever guide means, the loading arm can effect a space saving movement path and it is possible to take account of the constricted space conditions in a tank turret. Thus, it is possible to construct the guide means in such a way that the loading arm with the ammunition standing upright in the magazine can be raised from this position in a steep movement path and is only swung towards the end of the movement path into the loading position, where the ammunition is aligned with the weapon bore axis. Thus, the ammunition can be brought from a position roughly below the weapon breech block into the loading position, without there being any significant lateral swinging movement.
According to a preferred construction the guide means is located on a sliding table, which is guided on the ring mount and is movable between a starting position for the loading process aligned with the rotation axis of the ring mount and a take-over or acceptance position on the magazine.
This embodiment leads to the further advantage that the loader in the starting position roughly below the weapon can cover a larger lateral path, in order to be able to bridge a corresponding spacing between the rotation axis of the turret and the magazine with the concentric arrangement of the ammunition, with the spacing only being required during the process of accepting ammunition from the magazine.
According to an embodiment of the invention the magazine can be arranged as a turret magazine on the turret platform and receive the ammunition on two concentric circles or pitch circles, with the sliding table being movable between the starting position, and in each case, one acceptance position for the ammunition on one of the two circles.
With the aid of the ring mount it is possible to move up to any angular position and with the sliding table any radial position of the ammunition within the turret magazine, after which the ammunition can be taken up and brought into the loading position. The turret magazine can extend over a large part of the turret platform circumference and can have a stationary construction due to the rotary mounting of the loader.
A further ammunition supply can be formed in that in the vehicle rear or tail behind the turret is arranged a rotary magazine with upright ammunition and the loader with the sliding table can be moved into a rotary magazine reception position close to the turret for receiving ammunition therefrom.
This embodiment makes it possible to move up to a conventional rotary magazine in the vehicle tail directly with the loader, remove the ammunition from the magazine and transfer it either directly into the loading position or, in preferred manner, into the turret magazine. This can in particular take place during firing intervals, whereas, during battle loading, preferably takes place from the turret magazine due to the shorter distance which has to be covered. The inventively constructed loader is consequently not only usable for its actual function of bringing ammunition into the loading position, but also for reequipping the turret magazine with ammunition. For this purpose it is merely necessary for the turret magazine to leave a correspondingly large space by which the loader can pass to the storage magazine in the vehicle tail.
The rotary magazine in the vehicle tail can in principle be constructed in random manner and guided in a random movement path. It only has to pass over a near turret acceptance position so as to permit access by the loader. However, advantageously the rotary magazine has a magazine row arranged concentrically to the turret rotation axis and close to the periphery thereof and in whose vicinity is located the reception position.
This construction makes it possible to move up to more than one acceptance or reception position by rotating the turret. This is recommended, for example, in the case of a turret, whose rear engages by a significant amount over the body on the vehicle tail. By rotating the turret, a hatch located in the vehicle tail can be opened for rearming the tail-side magazine and, at the same time, the turret magazine can be rearmed from the rotary magazine in the vehicle tail.
The inventive construction provides the possibility of in particular storing large calibre and especially also two-part ammunition comprising a separate bullet and propellant charge and to bring same in a mechanized operating sequence into the weapon. In this case the turret magazine on its concentric circles can receive bullets and propellant charges and the rotary magazine in the vehicle tail alternating bullets and propellant charges, which are successively removed during the loading process. Here again it is possible to reequip the turret magazine with difficulty.
In the case of armoured cars of the aforementioned construction, it is known to arrange a rammer which moves the ammunition in the turret behind the weapon, generally in a turret tail or rear projecting rearwards over the turret ring mount. In order to utilize this principle with the inventive loader construction, the arrangement is such that the loading arm is in the loading position between the rear end of the weapon and the rammer, so that the rammer can move the ammunition received from the loading arm into the weapon.
If, as is known per se, a loading magazine with an ammunition rammer and a loading position aligned with the weapon bore axis is arranged in the turret behind the weapon, then it is inventively provided that the loading arm is arranged in the loading position between the weapon and the loading magazine and ammunition taken up by the loading arm can be transported by the rammer either directly into the weapon, or into the loading magazine loading position, or from the magazine via the loading arm into the weapon.
In a very simple embodiment the loading magazine is constructed as a single loading tube. This construction is particularly advantageous in the case of split ammunition, in that the loader takes a propellant charge from the turret magazine in a first working cycle, raises it into the loading position and, subsequently, by the rammer, is retracted into the loading tube. In a second loading cycle the loader takes a bullet from the turret magazine and brings the bullet into the loading position, where the bullet and the propellant charge are arranged successively. The rammer can then introduce both bullet and propellant charge into the weapon.
Instead of this, it is also possible to construct the loading magazine as a revolver with several ammunition receptacles, which by means of a rotary drive can be successively brought into the loading position.
The revolver can be filled with cartridged ammunition. As it is positioned directly behind the weapon, as a result of the short paths covered a high firing rate can be achieved. When the revolver is empty, it can be rearmed by the loader. However, it is also possible to alternately charge the revolver with propellant charges and bullets and to introduce same in the order bullet/propellant charge into the weapon by the rammer. It is also possible to only equip the revolver with propellant charges and to bring the bullets into the loading position with the loading arm, so that also in the case of two-part, large calibre ammunition a high firing rate is achieved.
According to a further advantageous construction of the present invention the loading magazine has an ejector position or can be brought into an ejector position and, in the ejector position, non-ignited ammunition retracted from the weapon by the rammer can be ejected from the turret.
If the loading magazine is a single loading tube, it can be pivoted out of the loading position into the ejector position, so as to eject from the turret the unignited propellant charge. However, if the loading magazine is constructed as a revolver, then it only has to be rotated into the ejector position with the retracted, unignited propellant charge.
Advantageously the loader is movable by the ring mount and/or sliding table into a position, where the loading arm is positioned alongside the weapon. The loader is brought into this position before firing, so as to free the space behind the weapon for the recoil of the latter during each elevation.
According to another preferred construction the guide means is constructed as a five-joint lever means, whose base is formed by the sliding table and whose connecting lever is formed by the loading arm and whose fifth joint is provided on the rear guide lever with respect to the weapon which is constructed from two arms connected by the joint. This construction permits a steep movement path of the loading arm from the vertical position into the loading position, in that the front guide raises the leading end of the loading arm in a swinging or pivoting movement, while the two-arm, rear guide initially performs a raising movement, so that the trailing end of the loading arm is initially raised substantially vertically and only with increasing erecting of the two rear guide arms is it pivoted into the loading position towards the end of the movement. The weapon is brought into an indexing position with limited elevation for the loading process.
In order to be able to do with a single drive despite the construction as a five-joint means, according to a further advantageous embodiment the front guide with respect to the weapon is connected by drive levers to the lower arm of the rear guide and the last guide is coupled to a drive. This construction offers the possibility to construct the drive for the guide means as a linear drive pivotably mounted on the sliding table.
The loading arm of the loader must essentially fulfill two functions, namely, that of reliably gripping the ammunition, optionally also ammunition of different calibres and also to exactly place the ammunition in the loading position. It therefore comprises a pitch cylindrical shell with a movable bottom and at least one pair of grippers supplementing the shell and which are movable between a clamping position fixing the ammunition and a position releasing the same. A number of constructional developments are conceivable in connection with this loading arm construction.
The case ends ejected during the counter-recoil of the weapon are generally collected by a case collector fitted to the weapon. This case collector, which extends rearwards from the breech block, would be in the way in the loading process by the inventively constructed loader. Thus, according to another feature of the invention the case collector is constructed in basket-like manner with a bottom which drops rearwards from the trailing edge of the weapon breech plate and has a collecting plate extending the same to below the breech plate and that the case collector can be pivoted from its operating position by a pivot arm mounted on the weapon and driven from there into a position above the weapon bore axis which frees the loading position and during the pivoting movement the collector plate can be swung into the basket-like case collector.
Due the pivotable arrangement of the case collector, it is possible to pivot the same into a position above the weapon bearing after firing, so that the loader with the ammunition received by it can be introduced into the loading position without encountering any obstacle. The case collector should extend to below the weapon breech plate, so as to be also able to collect poorly ejected case ends. This takes place with the collecting plate engaging below the breech plate through its pivotable mounting on the case collector, in that on swinging up the case collector it is pivoted into the same, so that the case ends which only drop onto the collector plate still slide into the basket-like part of the case collector.
The reliable collection of the case ends is also assisted by the further measure that the collecting plate has on its leading end an upright recoil guard, which can be pivoted rearwards during the recoil of the weapon by the breech plate. This recoil guard, which can be under spring tension and can itself become upright, is pivoted rearwards by the breech plate during the weapon recoil. This ensures a reliable completion of case collection below the breech plate.